Former Washington State Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for String of Bank Robberies

Former Washington State Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for String of Bank Robberies

A former resident of Spokane, Washington, Carl Kieffer, 49, was sentenced in federal district court on July 25, 2014, for a total of seven bank robberies, three of which were charged by Information or Indictment, and four of which were considered relevant conduct, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today.

The three charged bank robberies were of the Bank of O’Fallon in O’Fallon, Illinois, on October 15, 2013 (Case No. 13-30251-MJR); the Lusk State Bank in Lusk, Wyoming, in the District of Wyoming, on August 26, 2013 (Case No. 14-30051-MJR); and the Fifth Third Bank in Charlotte, Michigan, in the Western District of Missouri, on October 9, 2013 (Case No. 14-30052-MJR). These bank robberies were charged in separate cases but later consolidated into a single proceeding.

The four bank robberies that were not charged but were considered relevant conduct in the ultimate determination of the sentence were the Chase Bank, in Novi, Michigan, on September 5, 2013, the New Carlisle Federal Savings Bank, in Tipp City, Ohio, on September 13, 2013, the Bank and Trust of Farmersville, Farmersville, Illinois, on September 16, 2013, and the Huntington National Bank, in Bolivar, Ohio, on October 3, 2013.

Evidence at sentencing revealed that Kieffer lied to both an O’Fallon Detective and FBI agents when he told them that he was dying from cancer, and that was why he began robbing the banks—so that he could enjoy the rest of his life, spending his money on hotels, women and food. Medical records confirmed that while Kieffer was in poor health, he did not have any terminal illnesses.

Before imposing sentence, the Honorable Michael J. Reagan noted Kieffer’s extremely lengthy criminal history, as well as the fact that Kieffer had been incarcerated approximately 30 of the 49 years of his life. Judge Reagan noted that Kieffer was “one of those rare individuals who can’t function in a civilized society because he can’t conform his behavior” to society’s norms. Judge Reagan noted that the evidence of these crimes, as well as the evidence of Kieffer’s past criminal behavior, and his utter lack of remorse for the tellers who were the victims of his robberies, support a finding that Kieffer is likely to recidivate. Judge Reagan therefore imposed a total sentence of 240 months in federal prison for these crimes. Judge Reagan ordered that this sentence be followed by a three year term of supervised release and that Kieffer pay a total special assessment due of $300. Judge Reagan also ordered Keiffer to pay to each of the banks who did not receive all of their proceeds back. Specifically, he ordered mandatory restitution of $7,015 to Lusk State Bank and $3,600 to Fifth Third Bank. He further ordered discretionary restitution of $8,000 to Chase Bank, $1,950 to New Carlisle Federal Savings Bank, $8,480 to Bank and Trust of Farmersville, and $2,800 to Huntington National Bank. The discretionary restitution is imposed as a term of Kieffer’s supervised release.

The Bank of O’Fallon robbery in O’Fallon, Illinois, was investigated by the O’Fallon Police Department, the Belleville Police Department, the Swansea Police Department, the Fairview Heights Police Department, the Shiloh Police Department, the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department, the Illinois State Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Lusk State Bank robbery, in Lusk, Wyoming, was investigated by the Lusk Police Department, the Wyoming Office of the Attorney General, Division of Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Fifth Third Bank robbery in Charlotte, Michigan, was investigated by the Charlotte Police Department, the Michigan State Police, the Eaton County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The cases were assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Angela Scott.